Five Minutes To Midnight
by M. Pond
Summary: It's Valentine's Day and Death Eaters are attacking. Fred/Angelina --- V-Day Challenge


I gazed down at the table in front of me. I'd managed to convince George to let me leave a little bit early, and so I had had plenty of time to prepare a meal for Angie. It was Valentine's Day and I really wanted this one to be special. We'd been dating for two years and we were yet to have one that actually went right. When we'd started going out in seventh year, she'd had to schedule a quidditch practice on the 14th because the team was so bad. And then last year I had had to go on a business trip and so I hadn't even been in the country for it. This year however it was going to go right. Ange had managed to convince her boss at St Mungo's to let her go early, and so we would have the whole night together. I had attempted to cook something for us, but the pasta was now burnt and sticking to the pan, while the chicken was charcoal black. So instead I had reverted to the safest bet, Chinese takeout. I'd ordered everything she loved and it was all set out on our dining table, along with roses and a half decent bottle of wine.

As I checked the flat the two of us shared to make sure there was no mess left, I spotted an owl flying in the direction of the living room. Opening the window, it flew in and perched on the sofa. I didn't recognise the owl, however I took the letter that was strapped to its leg. Nipping at my finger, it flew off. I stared at the scroll and saw that it had my name written on it in familiar handwriting – Dumbledore's. He only ever wrote to me for one reason and that was when something was happening and the Order was needed. I fumbled as I opened the parchment and read the contents:

_Fred,_

_There is a meeting in 10 minutes. Don't floo._

That was all it said, but I knew exactly what it meant. Grabbing a spare piece of parchment off the sideboard, I scrawled Ange a message.

_Had to pop out quickly. Be back a.s.a.p_

Pulling on my cloak and blowing out the candles (Ange would kill me if I burnt down the apartment), I imagined a street a short way away from Grimmauld Place and apparated.

I shivered as I landed outside in the cold night air. It was already getting dark and the street lamps were beginning to come on. The street was deserted but I could hear people up ahead, most likely muggles. Hurrying, I began to walk the familiar to route to the Order headquarters. Dumbledore had given no hint as to what this was about, it could be a fully-fledged battle or he could just be giving us key information. That was the thing about being in this war; none of us ever had any idea if we would see tomorrow. As I got closer to the house, it hit me that I could never see Angelina again. I couldn't even remember the last thing I'd said to her, and it scared me that I may never have said goodbye. I knew, however, that I shouldn't think like that, that I couldn't think like that. This war was all about surviving.

I reached the two houses, 11 and 13, and muttered the address under my breath. I watched as the two houses began to slide apart and number 12 appeared. Clambering up the steps, I quietly knocked on the door and waited. I heard the sound of footsteps and my mum appeared at the door.

"Fred! Come in." She grabbed my arm and pulled me in, before trapping me in a strong hug. "Everyone is through here. We're just waiting for a couple more people." I nodded at her and followed her through to the kitchen, wiping away the lipstick kiss she had left on my cheek.

"Do you know what this is about mum?"

"No. Dumbledore just said that it was important." I nodded at her, and the moment I entered the kitchen I broke away. I spotted George lounging in the corner and I went over to join him.

"Got you too?" I said, pointing to the kiss on his cheek.

"Damn it. I thought I'd got it off," he growled, rubbing at his cheek hard.

The two of us sat and talked for a while until Dumbledore entered.

"Everyone's here. Good." I watched as his face suddenly hardened and became serious. "There has been an attack and it is still raging. The aurors have been prevented from helping since the majority are currently in Devon battling one group of death eaters. I have a strong feeling that this was a ploy on Voldemort's part to make sure he could attack without defence. Therefore, it is up to us to save the people involved. I received a report from one of our members who is trapped inside, and he told me that there are around 20 death eaters. He also told me that a number of people have already been killed."

"Where is this attack?" My father asked. What he said next made my heart stop beating for a second.

"St Mungo's." The very first thought in my end was Angelina. She'd just qualified as a healer and had been working there for the past 3 months. She'd owled me earlier to tell me that she'd be finishing work at 8. I glanced at my watch at saw that it was only half seven – she was still there. I barely noticed the movement around me until George grabbed at my arm.

"Come on. She'll need you to help her." I realised that everyone was apparating to the hospital, wands drawn. Closing my eyes, I imagined the foyer of the hospital.

The scene that met my eyes was very different from the one I had imagined in my mind. There were people in dark robes and masks everywhere, firing dark spells and curses at those they were battling. I could hear the screams of the wizards as they dodged the curses and tried to defend themselves. I watched as a flash of green light flew from one wand, hitting a young healer square in the chest. A look of shock appeared on her face as she fell to the floor. She lay there and it hit me that I had just seen someone die.

It was then that I became aware that I was in battle. Drawing my wand, I began to fight, firing every spell that I could remember. I could see my mother fighting with one death eater, and Bill fighting another. I quickly became drawn into a duel with one death eater, Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Crucio." I dodged the curse and I heard her laugh. "Lucky move there Weasley."

"Stupefy," I shouted, but she easily shielded herself from the curse.

"It's like fighting a child," she laughed, her words hissing. "Even your girlfriend put up a better fight. That is until I killed her." It felt like the world stopped moving. She couldn't have killed Angelina. She just couldn't have. Angie couldn't be dead.

"Stupefy," I shouted. I caught her when she had her guard down and she fell to the floor. Then I ran.

I had to find Angelina. I would know in my heart if she were dead. But what would Bellatrix have to gain from lying? I heard a little voice say. Shaking my head, I knocked the thought away. Ange couldn't be dead.

Before I even had a chance to get very far, I felt someone grab me. Spinning around, I saw a masked figure in front of me.

"Petrificus Totalus," I shouted. He fell to the floor, but almost instantly there was another one. And this one put up a good fight. I ducked to dodge a killing curse that he sent my way, firing back curses as hard and as fast as I could.

"The Weasley boy puts up a good fight," he sneered, aiming the cruciatus curse at me. I put up the shield charm just in time. We continued to fight and I felt myself begin to tire. That was until I saw another duel taking place on the opposite side of the room. There she was, her hair falling down from its ponytail, fighting for her life. I could see the steely determination on her face as she shielded herself from the curses, and sent back some of her own. I turned to keep duelling, aiming a spell at my opponent. I felt stronger now I knew she was still alive, that Bellatrix was lying. Then I heard a noise and I turned to see more than 30 aurors apparate into the hospital. Almost instantly the Death Eaters vanished, firing a last few spells before they disappeared. That was when it happened. I watched as the masked figure Ange had been duelling, turned and muttered a spell I didn't recognised. She crumpled to the floor, lying there lifeless as her attacker apparated away.

I raced towards her body, ignoring the aurors surrounding me. I fell to the floor next to her and grabbed her arm, feeling desperately for a pulse. Her eyes were closed and she looked like she was sleeping.

I sat there in one of those uncomfortable hospital chairs, my head resting on her bed. It was nearly midnight and I'd been here for hours waiting for her to wake up. The healers had told me that Ange had been hit with a dark curse, one that acted for two hours. It slowly paralysed the body until the major organs stopped working and the victim died. I'd been so scared that she wasn't going to make it, but apparently there was a healer named Owen who was based in Cardiff who had dealt with it before and who had created an anti-toxin to stop it. They'd contacted him immediately and he'd apparated up here straight away. Now it was all a matter of waiting for her to wake up.

As I rested my head on her bed, I suddenly felt a hand stroking my hair.

"Fred?" I sat up and saw Angie lying there awake. "What happened? Where am I?"

"You're alive!" I pulled her into a rough hug and felt her gently hug me back.

"What happened? I remember the attack, but nothing after that."

"You're in St Mungo's. You were struck by a dark curse that slowly paralysed you. They had to get some guy from Cardiff to come up and cure you. Apparently it's very rare but this healer came up with a cure." I stared into her large brown eyes and I slowly felt tears begin to form. "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you." She raised a hand and cupped my face.

"I'm not going anywhere just yet. It'll take more than a death eater attack to get rid of me. What time is it?"

"Five minutes to midnight," I said, glancing at the clock. "Valentine's Day is nearly over."

"Another Valentine's Day that we haven't spent together. I think someone's trying to tell us that this day isn't for us." She beckoned for me to come and lie on the bed with her. I kicked off my shoes and lay next to her. She curled up against me, resting her head on my chest.

"Well we've got the last five minutes." She laughed softly and sat up to kiss me on the lips. "I promise next year will be better."

Angelina's P.O.V

We never got a next year. We never did have another Valentine's Day, a chance to make it go right. Fred died only a few months later in the final battle, two days after he proposed to me. Today is Valentine's Day, a year after the attack at St Mungo's and I'm sat here working the night shift. I volunteered to do it since I have nowhere else to be. I should be married now, ready to spend a romantic evening in with Fred. He should be ordering Chinese takeout because his cooking went wrong, and I should be laying the table as he makes comments about how my dress would look better on our bedroom floor. Instead I'm sat here, my ring around my neck, imagining what could have been. Looking at the clock I see that it is five minutes to midnight. I begin to cry as I think of the promise Fred made to me this time last year in this very hospital. The promise he never got to keep.

A/N: Okay so this is another one in my little Valentine's Day challenge. For some reason they all seem to have something to do with midnight.

Anyway - this isn't one of my best pieces of writing, but it is an idea I've had in my head for months. I didn't plan the depressing ending but it just happened as I wrote. I don't like focusing on Fred being dead :(

For anyone who also watches Torchwood, there's a little crossover in this :D I couldn't resist.

Please review - it's the only payment I get for slaving away over this.


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